A U.S. design patent for the surrealist 'Sleeping' perfume bottle, shaped like a lit candle, was issued for Schiaparelli's collaboration with artist Marcel Vertès.
Around June 20, 1939, a U.S. design patent was granted for the distinctive bottle created for Elsa Schiaparelli's perfume 'Dormant' (also known as 'Sleeping'), designed in collaboration with Hungarian-French artist Marcel Vertès. The bottle took the whimsical, surrealist form of a lit candle set within a holder, epitomizing Schiaparelli's lifelong fusion of fine art and commercial design.
This patent is a rare surviving primary-source document of Schiaparelli's engagement with the American intellectual property system, credited alongside Vertès in official patent records archived by the U.S. Patent Office. The perfume bottle design reflects the broader Surrealist movement's fascination with dreams, the subconscious, and unexpected juxtapositions—themes Schiaparelli had already explored in fashion through collaborations with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau.
Perfume was a critical commercial extension of Schiaparelli's fashion house, following the phenomenal success of 'Shocking' in 1937, and this patented design demonstrates how seriously she treated packaging and object design as extensions of her artistic vision. The candle-shaped bottle for 'Sleeping' reinforced her brand identity as playful, boundary-pushing, and deeply connected to the Surrealist avant-garde.
This achievement highlights an often-overlooked dimension of Schiaparelli's legacy: her role as an innovator not just in garment design but in the total sensory branding of a fashion house, extending her creative reach into perfumery, packaging, and applied art.